Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 63

All along the road, Yuan Zhaoyang could clearly feel how different it was to be with Lin Mianmian in a cat’s body and in a human body.
When she was a cat, she did not have to do anything. She did not even have to give Lin Mianmian a look. She would still be the precious darling Lin Mianmian held in her palm, the little treasure Lin Mianmian talked about from morning to night without stopping.
But now…
The person beside her did answer her rambling chatter now and then, but that feeling of you are you, I am me, and we really are not us was so clear that it was hard to ignore.
Yuan Zhaoyang knew very well this change was her own fault, yet she still felt a faint sense of loss. So she could only cover the imbalance in her heart by talking even more, telling Lin Mianmian all sorts of small, scattered things about the cultivation world.
Her mouth kept talking, but her heart kept thinking about the person beside her.
Lin Mianmian’s gaze, and the way her steps suddenly slowed a little, could not escape Yuan Zhaoyang’s eyes. After all, Yuan Zhaoyang was only one step away from Core Formation.
“What is it?” Yuan Zhaoyang tried hard to keep her tone normal. She held back the urge to cover the cloud pattern on her belt at once.
I am just feeling guilty, right… She was only looking casually… right…
“Nothing…” Lin Mianmian shook her head and curved her lips in self-mockery. Was she going crazy?
Was she…
A strange silence appeared between them again.
They had not walked many more steps before Lin Mianmian could not help speaking first. “Senior Sister Yuan… it seems like you really like this kind of black and orange pattern.”
“Do… I…” All kinds of excuses whistled through Yuan Zhaoyang’s mind. The simple words came stiffly from between her lips and teeth. Even her voice sounded a little false.
Lin Mianmian did not notice anything wrong with Yuan Zhaoyang. She only followed her earlier thought and continued, “Now that I think about it carefully, every set of robes you wear seems to have at least some black and orange pattern on it. Even the set you lent me in Yingxian City had it.”
“Now that you mention it, that is true.” Yuan Zhaoyang turned her eyes toward Lin Mianmian, her face calm. “So, is there something wrong with it?”
“…” Lin Mianmian froze for a moment, then quickly shook her head. Her voice grew weaker too. “No, nothing. I was only… saying it casually.”
She really did not look like she had discovered something and come to demand answers.
As expected, Yuan Zhaoyang had thought too much. Of course. With only the color of a pattern, how could Lin Mianmian possibly think all the way to a cat demon? Yuan Zhaoyang used the motion of straightening her robe to let out a soft breath.
Since Lin Mianmian had not guessed in that direction, then as a topic of idle talk, as long as Yuan Zhaoyang did not continue it, she could steadily move on to the next safe subject.
But…
Looking at Lin Mianmian lowering her head again, Yuan Zhaoyang had meant to bring up some interesting new item recently made by the Five Elements Sect’s Derivation Hall. The words turned once in her mouth, and when they came out, they became something else.
“Is it because you thought of that little calico cat you raised?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, even Yuan Zhaoyang did not understand how she had guided the talk into such an unsafe direction. Wasn’t this the rhythm of digging a pit and putting herself inside it?
But before she could regret it, Lin Mianmian lifted her head and looked at her with a slightly red face. Her eyes seemed full of stars.
It seemed she had found a somewhat dangerous topic, but one the other person was very interested in.
From the pattern, they talked about Rice Ball. For the second half of the road, the situation where Yuan Zhaoyang alone held up the whole conversation was finally broken.
The first half of the trip had felt endless. It made a person wish they could slap on two Swift-Travel Talismans and end the strange silence and awkwardness. But the second half felt short, as if they had only wandered along a little before reaching the end of the forest.
Yes, the end.
Not far away, the trees slowly thinned, and the light grew brighter. After walking for several hours, they were finally about to leave the forest, yet both of them slowed their steps at the same time.
Lin Mianmian hurriedly ended the topic of the little calico being picky about food. She looked at Yuan Zhaoyang a little shyly. “Did I talk too much about Rice Ball…”
She had talked for so long and only realized it now. Wasn’t that a little too late?
“Of course not.” Yuan Zhaoyang lightly shook her head, as if trying to make her answer more believable. “It was very interesting.”
It was not only those stories that were interesting. The person speaking with a face full of pride and fondness was interesting too.
This Lin Mianmian was the Lin Mianmian she knew.
“Thank you,” Lin Mianmian said very seriously.
Along the way, as she spoke, guilt and longing flowed out bit by bit. The heavy pressure in her heart also gradually loosened a lot.
“What are you thanking me for? Bringing you here was something I should do anyway.” For some reason, Yuan Zhaoyang suddenly felt a little nervous. She was like a person who owed a debt and was suddenly praised by the creditor, dazed and at a loss.
Thank you for patiently listening to me talk so much about Rice Ball. Thank you for not lecturing me with words like immortals and mortals are different, so why keep thinking about a cat from the mortal world…
That gentle look, that gaze that seemed to urge her to keep speaking, the replies that came at just the right time and caught the point, and the approval in every word and motion all became the strength that let Lin Mianmian speak her heart.
It was a feeling of being accepted that almost made her feel flattered. Thoughtful and warm.
Lin Mianmian was grateful. She even felt that this gratitude was a little hard to express in words.
So she fell quiet.
But this silence was no longer the awkward silence from before. It was natural and comfortable.
“Earlier, didn’t you ask about this cloud pattern?” Yuan Zhaoyang narrowed her eyes and looked toward the edge of the forest not far ahead. “You were right. Every set of robes I own uses black and orange cloud patterns as decoration.”
Why had she suddenly brought up a topic from several hours ago?
Lin Mianmian looked up at Yuan Zhaoyang in surprise, but soon stayed silent.
That… was the kind of expression that said, Do not mind me. Let me keep talking, right?
Sure enough, even though Lin Mianmian did not speak, Yuan Zhaoyang continued.
“When I was still too young to remember anything, I was separated from my family. This little mark… I thought that if we met again one day, perhaps we might recognize each other through it. The longer one lives, the more chances there are to part. But after parting, there can also be reunion. So life can still hold some hope, can’t it?”
One moment earlier, Lin Mianmian had still been racking her brain, trying to think of how to comfort Yuan Zhaoyang. The next moment, a whole pot of chicken soup was poured into her.
It was warm and hot, reaching straight into her heart, leaving her able to do nothing but nod.
Wasn’t this a little like a person suddenly lifting their robe, pointing at their legs with no feet, and telling a person with no shoes, “Look, there is nothing to fear. This is life. It will all pass”?
Lin Mianmian’s thoughts ran everywhere. Her lips moved slightly. She wanted to say something, but before she could make a sound, the two of them had already reached the forest edge.
The setting sun was just right.
Without the forest blocking it, the sunlight shone straight onto their faces, making them dizzy for a moment.
Before Lin Mianmian could take a good look at the world beyond the forest, she heard a familiar cry of “Mianmian!” Then she fell into a furry hug.
“Cough… Lanlan? Cough, cough… Why are you… cough… so dusty…” Before Lin Mianmian could be choked to death, she finally dug herself out of Xiong Lanlan’s dusty embrace.
“Hahaha! You finally came. We have been waiting for you for ages!” Xiong Lanlan let Lin Mianmian go and casually patted herself. In an instant, dust filled the air. “Heh, I just came from the fields. Did not clean up.”
Yuan Zhaoyang waved her sleeve. A strong wind blew straight at Xiong Lanlan. It swept away the dust on her body, and at the same time, it blew all of the bear fur on her whole body in the same direction. She looked rather…
“Pfft…” Lin Mianmian really could not hold it in. This punk-styled bear… Senior Sister Yuan probably had not done it on purpose, right?
Yuan Zhaoyang, who had not stopped Xiong Lanlan from pouncing over at once because she wanted Lin Mianmian to feel the warmth of her little friends, finally felt a bit more satisfied now.
“Many thanks, Senior Sister Yuan.” Xiong Lanlan’s heart was sometimes so big it could hold all the bean buns in the world. Looking at her clean self, she happily thanked Yuan Zhaoyang, then casually rubbed her bear fur. Once again, she was a fine bear.
At this time, Lin Mianmian also discovered that Xiong Lanlan was not the only one who had come to meet her.
Not far away stood Feng Liang, smiling brightly. A few steps away from Feng Liang stood gloomy Meng Tianhe. He looked even gloomier than he had on the night he came to say goodbye after successfully drawing spiritual energy into his body… Only, when he saw Lin Mianmian look over, Meng Tianhe still squeezed out a very friendly, not very pretty smile.
“Feng Liang and Meng Tianhe came too.” Seeing the little friends who had come to the Five Elements Sect with her, then been separated for so long because of their different aptitudes, Lin Mianmian felt many emotions rise in her heart.
“Yes. Senior Sister Zihui said you could come over today, so we all came,” Xiong Lanlan said. As soon as her voice fell, someone took over.
“…And me.” The little green turtle lay quietly on a stone between Feng Liang and Meng Tianhe. His voice was as cool and clear as always. “Lin Mianmian, I am going to get angry.”
Gui Changshou had come too?
Wasn’t he supposed to be at odds with Xiong Lanlan, as in where there was a bear, there was no turtle?
Lin Mianmian quickly added a greeting to the little turtle.
“Mianmian, you came at just the right time. It is mealtime. I will take you to eat!” Xiong Lanlan slapped one paw onto Lin Mianmian’s shoulder. “Come on, come on. My treat today.”
The little green turtle tapped the stone. “You bear, all you know is eating! She has not even chosen her house yet. Is she going to sleep in the ground tonight?”
“She can choose after eating. You think everyone is like a turtle, eating one meal so slowly that it takes until dark?” Xiong Lanlan glared at Gui Changshou and shot back at once. But when she looked at Lin Mianmian again, she still asked for her opinion. “Do you want to choose a house first, or eat first?”
Compared with eating, Lin Mianmian naturally wanted to become familiar with this side first.
“Go eat with Xiong Lanlan and the others first. Later, I will take you to settle your residence.” Yuan Zhaoyang glanced at Xiong Lanlan’s neck and suddenly spoke to Lin Mianmian.
Lin Mianmian was lost.
After Yuan Zhaoyang finished speaking, she stuffed several spirit stones into Lin Mianmian’s hand. Before Lin Mianmian could react, Yuan Zhaoyang brought out a magic treasure and quickly flew away.
“You two? Are you very close?” Xiong Lanlan looked at the spirit stones in Lin Mianmian’s hand. Three low-grade spirit stones and two mid-grade spirit stones. Wasn’t that far too much money for one meal?
Lin Mianmian: “…”